The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-05-27
UNKNOWN DEAD.

Dedication at HOpkinsviile, ky', OF sas /
Beautiful Tribute to His Unknown Deaa
Comrades ofthe Confederate Army Erect
ed by John C. Latham. of New YOrlS-TlAe
Monument and Its Inscriptions.
HoPKINsvILLE, KY, May 20.-The dedi- |
cation of the monument donated by Mr., |
John C. Latham, of New York, to tho |
memory of the unknown Confederate dea1 |
in the cemetery at Hopklnsvliie' took |
place at noon yesterday. The ceremonies |
were elaborate and imposing A holiday
had been declared, and every street and
allev every business house and resi- |
dence was decorated. A large num-
Der of distinguished visitors were present
from this and adjoining States Governor
Taylor of Tennessee and staff, the Hor-
mitage Club from Nashville, Governor
Knott, General S. B. Buckner, Secretary
of State Mckenzie, Auditor Hewitt At
torney- General Hardin, Colonel Brecken-
ridge and Collector Cox, of Kentucky, anc
many other distinguished persons wers
among them.
There were fully six thousand people
around the monument when the exercises
began.
The first grafton was by Hon. Jas.
Breathitt, presenting the monument to
the city. Hon w. G. p. Breckenridge fol
lowed in an eloquent tribute to the Con-
federate soldier, and Rev. DR.. Chas.
Deems, of New York spoke of the lesson
of the war. Mr. Latham sent the follow
ing letter from New York:
NEW YORK, May IA.
To the President and Mena54rs Of the b trd Of
Council of the CITY Of HO pkinsUilIe, Ky:
GENTLEMEN sincerely regret that owing to
demands on my time of business engagements
requiring personal attention, it is impossible
for me to be present at the unvail1ng OF the Con
! federate monument in your cemetery. This
work which / undertook in tribute to the un-
known deadis finished What was but an ideal
| purpose in my beginning, has by your help de-
veloped into an acknowledged fact. The oDe-
| lisks of old are marked by strange hieroglyph-
/ les that hide the motives of their construction
/ in mystery. On the monument which you to-
/ day unvail is chisled in plain type the explana-
| ton Of its object and the sentiment OF its eree-
| ton. In its construction 1 have been sus-
| tanned by several thoughts. First OF all have
| felt safe from the susp cion of selhshness, be
| cause it was a memorial to the unknown dead
| Secondly, have felt perfect confidence in the
| sympathy of all true women and brave men,
believing that they would recognize in the
| tomb a deserved tribute to all of heroism that
could die Thirdly, I have reioiced in the op-
| portunity it gave me to do honor to the memory
| of my comrades in arms, who left their homes
| and lost their lives for conscience sake And
finally, have felt that this memorial shaft
would beautify the city OF the dead in which
my father sleeps, and that the martial spirits
of the dead soldiers beneath it would stand
guard about his grave.
The letter concludes with expressions
of pleasure at being able to have this op-
portuuity, and adds:
! In now formally turning over the monument
to you as the official guardians Of the city OF
Hopxinsville, I beg to say that every expense
| incident to the construction has been met, ano
| to assure YOU that of the total cost there
| remains not one dollar unpaid. I have also
made such an Endorsement provision as viii
yield sufficient income to keep the monument
and grounds in perfect order for all time u
come.
He also adds his regrets that the re
moval of the Federal dead to the Eationa
cemetery at Fort Donelson prevented th'
Joint dedication of the monument to thei
I memory
? THE MONUMENT
2 The following description of the monu
ment will be of in terest: The base of th
: structure is eight feet three nche
4 square, supporting pedestal OF two POI
-. -A-. rr-t+L. Int hnI.AnE N